


Passing Light

by thewomaninthefog



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Yuuko is a princess, Yuuri is not, victor is a prince
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 14:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15075446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewomaninthefog/pseuds/thewomaninthefog
Summary: Yuuri is the son of the captain of the guard and friends with the princess of Hatsetsu, Yuuko. At the yearly ball, they meet a person who will change their lives. (Guess who?)





	Passing Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this last summer when these kinds of AU's were really kicking off and none of them were really my speed. I never posted it because I couldn't think of a good title. (Still can't. Oops) There is potential for there to be more of this. 
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys!

Soft green grass tickled Yuuri’s face as it swayed in the warm breeze. He was laying on his back, the sun filtering through his closed eyes. The ruffling of the leaves lulled him into a peaceful half-consciousness. In the moment Yuuri felt like he could become part of the land, slowly sinking into the earth...

"Yuuri!! Yuuri!!” It was Yuuko.

Yuuri sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes. Yuuko was stumbling up the hill in a long pink dress, her hiked up hem revealing the bare feet underneath.  

“Yuuri were you asleep?” she asked, dropping in the grass beside him.

“No, I was just thinking.”

“About what?” She leaned forward, genuinely curious.

Yuuri looked down at the grass and ran his fingers through the blades. “I was thinking about… sinking into the earth.”

The excitement on her face fell away. “You think too much, Yuuri.”

“Sorry.” Yuuri tore at the grass.

Yuuko, feeling a pang of guilt for making him self-conscious, changed the subject. “The ball is tonight! Some of the guests have already arrived. Even the prince from Russia will be here!”

“Are you going?”

“Mama says I'm not old enough.”

“Thirteen sounds old enough to me.”

“She said I have to wait two more years.”

Yuuri wasn’t looking at the grass anymore, but his expression was still glassy.

“Do you want to go practice?” Yuuko asked.

_ Finally,  _ Yuuko thought as Yuuri’s face lit up.

 

The pair scrambled down the small hill, headed toward the stables that sat nestled into the rolling expanse of green. Not far from the stables was the castle, a soaring structure of gray cobblestone. It was a modest castle for royalty by the standards of other countries, but the kingdom of Hatsetsu was small in size and population. The western side of the castle faced the beach, which slowly descended into the sea. Some nights the salty breeze would drift through the window of Yuuri’s room in his family's quarters as he slept. It was a calm and serene. The whole kingdom was.

When they reached the stable Yuuko pulled open one of the doors and slipped inside, Yuuri following closely behind. Yuuko climbed up the ladder while holding her skirts in an unladylike fashion. She grabbed their blades from their hiding spot in the hay and tossed Yuuri his.

He caught it by the blade and dropped it on instinct. They were just practice blades and weren’t sharp. Feeling more foolish than ever, Yuuri picked up the blade and got in starting position as Yuuko dropped to the dirt floor of the stable. 

“Ready?”

Yuuri nodded.

As their swords clashed Yuuri’s self consciousness was pushed aside. It’s not that the voice inside his head was gone, he still chastised himself whenever he executed something poorly, but he knew that if he dwelled to long and lost focus he would make a real mistake and get hit. Real mistakes  _ hurt.  _

Yuuko was accomplished with a blade, moving with a grace that Yuuri had only dreamed of having. When they practiced like this Yuuri’s mind was always distracted, but she was all blank expressions and movements like a bloom caught on a summer breeze. She never waivered.

At least most of the time.

Something flipped in her expression and she started pushing Yuuri back, hitting him with a flurry of attacks until he eventually went tumbling backwards. Yuuko set her hands on her knees, huffing as a low whistle sounded from the doorway.

“The captain of the guards son getting his fat ass kicked by the princess. That’s low.” 

“Oh shut up, Nishigori. You’re just jealous,” Yuuko said.

Yuuri whirled around in time to see Nishigori roll his eyes. “Of what?”

“That Yuuri will be a knight one day and you won't!” Yuuko said, but she was blushing. 

Yuuri and Nishigori both knew he was not jealous of Yuuri’s status, at least not in the way Yuuko was implying, and Yuuri had a feeling that Yuuko knew too. Yuuri  _ was _ the son of the captain of the king's private guard, and even he had a very small chance of ever being able to marry Yuuko, the crown princess.

Nishigori's family ran the stables. 

“Sure thing, princess.” Nishigori said. “Don’t you have a ball to get ready for or something?”

“We’re not going to the ball.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Whatever, princess, just get out of my stable, I’ve got work to do.”

 

* * *

 

As Yuuri watched Yuuko spin around her room in a white gown preparing for her first official diplomatic ball, he thought of the time two years earlier when they had snuck into the ballroom and watched the party through the railings at the top of the grand staircase. 

Yuuko had pointed out the meek boy with silver hair every time she spotted him in the crowd. Yuuri had found it hard to believe that the prodigy Yuuko spilled facts about was the same boy practically clinging to his mother in the large hall.

_ And today,  _ Yuuri thought,  _ We’re both going to meet him _ .

By a stroke of shared pity from both Yuuri and Yuuko’s parents and a fair amount of begging on Yuuko’s part, Yuuri had been granted permission to attend the ball. As he rubbed his sweating hands on his dress pants for the thousandth time, Yuuri wondered who was more nervous; him, or the girl flitting around haphazardly who had claimed several times that she “really was going to puke.”

“Yuuko, Yuuri! Time to go down and start greeting guests!”

Yuuri felt like he was going to puke too.

 

Yuuko was just as graceful under pressure as she was when sword fighting. The nauseous look on her face quickly melted into a pleasant smile as she greeted every guest with pliable gratitude. However, Yuuri caught the searching look in her eye.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for Viktor, of course.” 

She shifted on her toes, trying to peek through the crowd. Her eyes locked onto a figure in the distance. She grabbed Yuuri’s arm. 

“Look, there he is!”

Viktor’s arm was locked with his mother’s, just as the last time Yuuri had seen him. He was the same while being entirely different. He was several inches taller and the hair that had been just below his shoulders was now pulled back into a plait that reached to his waist. His posture was more confident, but he still clung to his mother as he had two years earlier. 

However, Yuuri thought his reasons behind doing so had shifted. Viktor’s mother was paler and thinner than Yuuri had ever seen her. Yuuko seemed to have noticed the same thing when her eyebrows knit together. 

Instead of waiting for them to come to her, Yuuko went to Viktor’s mother and grasped her hands, suddenly free of any nerves at meeting Viktor.

“Your highness, welcome to Hasetsu.  I’m princess Yuuko, and my family is so pleased you could make it tonight.”

The woman’s eyes lit up and she smiled. “I’m happy to be here. I regret that my husband could not make the ball. This is my son, Viktor.”

“Nice to meet you, Viktor.” Yuuko curtsied. “I’ve heard such wonderful things about you.”

“He’s a wonderful boy, but far too serious, if you asked me.”

“Mother-”  His brow knitted together in the same way Yuuko’s did when she was concerned. It was then that Yuuri noticed the brilliant blue of his eyes.

“You know it’s true, sweetheart. Now who is this young man?”

For a moment Yuuri had forgotten that they could see him. Seeing Viktor, being so close to him, had grasped Yuuri’s being in a way he had not known was possible. He tried to introduce himself but his throat closed tight before he could speak.

Yuuko threw an arm around him and said, “This is Yuuri Katsuki, his father is the captain of my father’s guard. He’s an excellent swordsman and one of my dearest friends.”

Yuuri bowed. “It’s my pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

“What a polite young man! Would you mind accompanying me tonight? Viktor needs a break from his dear old mother.”

The last thing Yuuri expected was to spend the evening with Viktor’s mother. Although it was likely that she was just using Yuuri to get away from her son and would leave him be soon enough. “I would be honored to, ma’am.”

“Then it’s settled! Viktor, dear, why don’t you spend some time with miss Yuuko. The treaty between our kingdoms is very important, you know.”

“Of course, mother, but-” 

“I will be fine, be a child for once.” Her voice slipped out of her pleasant tone to that of a mother, stern and a bit pleading. 

Viktor just nodded his head.

His mother wrapped her arm around Yuuri’s, an awkward feat as she was quite a bit taller than him, and strode off across the marbled floor.

When they were out of earshot she leaned in and whispered playfully: “Thank you for helping me with my great escape.” Her tone turned sober. “I fear that Viktor is losing his childhood to my illness. But don’t fret, I don’t intend to keep you.”

“I-I don’t mind.”

He really didn’t. He’d rather listen to the kind woman speak than wander aimlessly through the ballroom.

“Would you mind telling me what you’re country is like?” Yuuri asked.

 

Viktor’s mother was a wealth of knowledge and humor, always informative but never boring. She told him histories of both their kingdoms, stories of Viktor as a child, and even some about her own interests. Yuuri occasionally offered up a few words and she listened attentively, but never actively forced him into conversation.

Eventually she informed him that she was not feeling well and was going to find a quiet place to rest. Yuuri never saw her or Viktor again that night.

Several months later, in the dead of winter, the castle received the news that the queen had passed away.

 

* * *

 

Viktor did not return to the annual ball between Hatsetsu’s political allies and friends for the next three years. But yet another ball had come and Yuuri was sixteen. His father had started training him personally in swordsmanship, and he had grown considerably in height and broadness of shoulder. (And a bit around his waist, if he asked Mari.) Despite his personal training, he and Yuuko still met up often to practice.

Yuuri shut the door of the stables, shutting out most of the evening light. They were meeting at their usual spot of seven years, but Yuuko had yet to arrive. Wanting to get ready, Yuuri climbed the ladder to the upper landings where hay was stored— and where they still kept their swords.

He froze at a rustling to his left.

“Yuuko?”

“Yuuri!” Yuuko pulled away from Nishigori, whose arms were wrapped around her. “We were just—”

Blushing, Yuuri stumbled back down the ladder.

“It's fine! Don't worry about me. See you at the ball!” 

As soon as Yuri got out the door he sprinted back to the castle, desperately hoping that no one would see embarrassed tears streaming down his face.

Yuuri hadn’t had feelings for Yuuko for years, but seeing her with Nishigori sent a riptide of feelings through him. He was embarrassed to have seen something he wasn’t supposed to, hurt that Yuuko was spending time with someone else, and jealous: not of Nishigori, but of both of them, that they had someone to be with, because what it all boiled down to as the water receded was that Yuuri was lonely and desperately so. 

The jealousy gripped his heart and refused to relinquish its grasp, even as Yurri walked into yet another ball. The whirls of color and the noise were overwhelming. The room was hot and the air was heavy, and it felt like it was crushing him. And then he saw Yuuko in a long red dress, her auburn hair pulled back eloquently and her eyes locked on him and he couldn’t stand it, so he disappeared into the crowd, running from her, running from the weight that would not leave his chest. 

He burst out onto a balcony and wrapped his hands around the stone banister, stumbling his way into a corner and dropping. He rested his head against the cool stone of the railing and let his back rest against the castle wall. His eyes stared out over the inky land and the silver clouds. The cold air was lighter and he took deep breaths, but his chest still felt poisoned and heavy.

The door to the balcony opened and clicked behind another figure. The faint outline went to the railing and placed his hands on it. Instead of looking out, he looked down. It was silent for a moment, and then small whimpers and shaking shoulders turned to loud, wet sobs.

Yuuri didn’t know what to do. 

And then the clouds uncovered the moon and Yuuri gasped.

“Who’s there?” Viktor Nikiforov said. 

“No one!” Yuuri shot to his feet. “I mean... Sorry.” 

Viktor took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “No, you were obviously the first one here.. It was inappropriate for me to leave the party.”

“I left too. Sometimes it’s too much.” Yuuri looked to the side. 

Viktor took a step towards him. “Wait, Yuuri? You look so much older!”

“You know me?”

“Of course I do! Mother spoke about you for weeks after she met you.”

“Really?” 

Viktor nodded his head, a bit of his energy draining out of him at the mention of his mother.

“Is everything okay?” Yuuri asked.

“It’s just a lot to deal with. My father asked me to come here to strengthen the ties between our kingdom. He thinks war is coming and we need allies, but he shuts me out of negotiations. And… I miss my mother. She was always so good at this sort of thing and… I’m lonely.”

Yuuri stepped in closer. “I understand how you feel. I hate the royal balls, they’re always overcrowded and loud but at the same time so isolating.”

“I wish there was some way to get… away from all of this.”

The stood there for a long moment, silence cast over them.

Yuuri’s mind chugged forward, thoughts churning at a sluggish pace until it occurred to him.

“I know a place.” He spoke before his mind could tell him to be embarrassed. “The stables. It’s quiet there.”

In the time it took Viktor to respond Yuuri’s mind clicked back into real time. He wanted to take back every word. Why would he suggest that he and Viktor, a prince, should run away together in the night? Was there a way to grab words out of the air and stuff them back in his mouth? What would Viktor think if he just walked back into the party?  How could Yuuri ever think that someone like  _ Viktor _ would— 

“Sounds like a wonderful idea,” horns sounded indoors and Viktor winced, “But I think we’re being called back inside. It seems the king has an announcement to make.”

Viktor, however, did not make a move to leave.

Yuuri turned to go, thinking that maybe he wanted a moment alone before returning to the buzz of the ball. Viktor’s hand shot out and wrapped around Yuuri’s wrist.

“I would love to visit this barn after the ball, if you’d be willing.”

Yuuri’s voice caught in his throat. He was most certainly willing.

“Meet me at the servants gate after the ball is over.”

With that, Viktor’s grip loosened, and Yuuri walked back into the party. 

He felt lighter. Something new was gripping his heart. 

At the foot of the double staircase stood Yuuko, her father, and Viktor’s father. Yuuri saw Viktor slipped in beside his father. His eyes searched through the crowd and landed on Yuuri. For a moment, Yuuri thought he saw him smile. 

The two kings nodded at each other and Yuuko’s father stepped forward and spoke in a booming voice, “As many of you know, during the reign of King Nikiforov, our kingdoms have become close allies. It is our wish to bind out two peoples in a more permanent way. It is with great pride and my deepest pleasure that I announce the engagement of Princes Yuuko and Crown Prince Viktor!”

For only a split second, the crowd was silent. Viktor and Yuuko’s faces were both shocked frozen in the smiles they had been wearing seconds before. And then there was a roar of applause and Yuuri turned away, pushing through the crowd, feeling more foolish than ever and maybe, just maybe trying desperately to keep his heart from breaking. 


End file.
